In the 1950s, after graduating from the University of British Columbia, he worked as a freelance writer, did scripts for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and for nearly five years wrote a weekly quiz show.

In 1960's Drake's interest in magic was revived when he became acquainted with magicians in the Toronto area. He moved to Europe with his wive, Elve, and lived
in Spain for six months and then London where he was a regular visitor to Ken Brooke's Magic Studio.

Moving back to Toronto in the 1970's, Drake began performing close-up at regional conventions such as the Tri-City Party, NYCAN, and the Society of Canadian Magicians. He was on the close-up program at the I.B.M. Convention in Buffalo, in 1972. Drake worked professionally in the 1970s performing at sales conventions, trade shows and clubs. He also taught a course in close-up magic at a community college in Toronto for many years.

Drake was a regular at the Toronto Round Table meetings held at the King Edward Sheraton Hotel, preformed at the Forks Hotel and was a regular at the FFFF convention.